Paraplegics, invalids and incapacitated individuals who have lost full or partial use of their legs have long had difficulty getting into and out of automobiles or similar vehicles due, in part, to the often cramped and inconvenient design of most automobile passenger compartments and, in part, to the lack of practical devices to aid such movement.
A variety of devices have been employed to alleviate the problem; however, most of these have proved to be inefficient, unreliable, mechanically complex, relatively expensive and inconvenient for routine use. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,432 (Brown, et al.) describes a device for transferring an invalid or incapacitated person to and from a vehicle; however, it can be readily determined that this device is mechanically complex and requires modification of the subject vehicle for proper use. Accordingly, the device is inflexible, and use is limited to certain specially configured vehicles. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,651,725 (Hoyer, et al.) and 1,614,769 (Amsler) suffer from similar disadvantages.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,637 (Lynn, et al.) describes a device that is much less mechanically complex than the prior art and requires no modification of the vehicle for proper use. This device, however, suffers from a number of deficiencies, too. For example the beam of the device is secured to the automobile by clamps which are formed to fit the "rain gutter" of the automobile roof. The device, therefore, is not easily or readily adaptable to vehicles not having a "rain gutter" or a similar roof construction. Further, the clamps described and used with the device freely and loosely move across the support beam and are eventually hand tightened by a screw during operation allegedly to conform to various automobile roof widths. This poses a particularly dangerous situation attributable to insecure clamps, improper tightening or improper positioning. The device also is devoid of features to secure its separable parts or to selectively position the trolley along the track over which the lifted and transported invalid rides. These deficiencies, too, present safety concerns and exacerbate the difficulties attendant to efficient movement of the invalid to and from an automobile and vice-versa.
The present invention, however, remedies the deficiencies of the prior art and provides a safe, efficient and convenient means for transferring an invalid. Further, the present invention is readily adaptable to almost all automobile roof configurations and is secured by stable and substantially stationarily deposed clamps. Moreover, the device includes various other means to insure safe transfer of the invalid, while permitting the operator to concentrate on the invalid's comfort and position without regard to the device or its operation.